audeamus
by thereceiv3r
Summary: A collection of short stories with Ulquiorra and Orihime. Fantasy AU.
1. Preface

**Notes:**

This collection of stories will be part of the "Interlude" I have mentioned in _A Bountiful Case._ They will be set in a period of time between two greater stories that I am currently writing. They are all AUs but with some canon characteristics. Orihime is a princess and Ulquiorra is an Arrancar knight. The Interlude is basically a log of their adventures/snippets of memorable moments after having escaped from the Kingdom and the Shinigami who have invaded and taken over it. Notions about the Arrancar or Shinigami and any associates will differ slightly from canon. But I won't talk about that here.

As I don't have any accurate date system for these stories, I may just rank them 1-10 depending on how close or far from the first story. For example the story in first chapter would probably be about 4. It is set some time before _ABC _but I would think their relationship have progressed far enough from the first big story. _ABC _would probably rank like 7, quite close to the end of the Interlude period.

_If this seems a bit confusing, just ignore all the above and read the stories as they are. They will make sense by themselves too :)_

Some of the stories are quite long so it will take time to update. Hopefully FF doesn't take down this chapter.


	2. Lost

Welcome~ Please review or criticise at your leisure =^v^=

**Timeline No.:** 4  
**Genre:** Humour  
**Word Count:** 1129  
**Date: **16.6.2019  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

* * *

...

..

.

"Be quiet, woman."

"But – I'm not saying anything."

"Silence."

* * *

"Don't!"

"What?!"

"Hmph!"

"Oh, he stomped off."

* * *

"Ulquiorraaaaa~~

"You suck." The woman of orange hair and storm-coloured eyes paused and peered over to another pair of eyes that was positively screaming of annoyance. She decided to end her sentence quickly. "As a bodyguard."

Her black-haired companion sighed. "I know."

His acknowledgment – the first this month – of her statement surprised her. She scrutinised his visage. Indeed, he look a bit haggard with twitchy fingers and eyebrows and oh, were his green eyes just shimmering with emotion?! Her bodyguard, being an Arrancar, often times felt like a piece of rock to her. Maybe not a plain rock, per say. He was comparable to a piece of marble. White and milky in appearance but with a tint of expression.

"Wow, you look tired." She gave as an afterthought.

"I am."

"Reeealllly tired." She whistled innocently.

"Woman." He sighed again, looking back at his charge, then asked begrudgingly. "Do you have a point you wish to make?"

She laughed and he glared upsetly. Was he that evil in his past life? He sure felt like he was. Oh no, he wasn't blaming it on the princess before him. Not this strange, cheerful girl he knew to be his king's younger sister. No, he was mad at his situation and how in four realms they were stranded here – all by his own incompetence.

"Now you get it, Ulqui-chan." The girl chuckled.

He gritted his teeth. Ok, maybe he was a little irritated at her.

The girl started pulling open her robes, searching for something. He watched as she jiggled around the inside of her clothing and almost frowned as the top of her feminine parts peeked through. Really, the woman was so strange!

"AHA!" She pulled out a slip of paper. Noticing his further confusion, she said "It's a map."

Silence.

"What." He managed to utter, the syllable slipping through his teeth like the edge of a dulled sword against obsidian glass.

"You know the thing that shows you where you are?" She explained quickly as though he was a simpleton for not understanding. Her annoyance faded quickly as she looked more closely the map. "Oh my, it even tells you where to go! It's been enchanted! Hey Ulqui-chan, I'll lead the way!"

She skipped away, not waiting for him.

"Hime-sama."

She turned back, ponytail fanning in a curtain of orange as it swung around. She hummed questioningly, gaze curious.

"Did you know all along?" He gritted out, still quite motionless. "About the map?"

_Were you waiting for me to salvage my indignity?_ was his silent question.

"Of course!" The woman just smiled at him. Her lips spread so wide he wondered if her face would eventually split in half. But he had to admit that smile was so radiant, even her hair shone. Such a beautiful orange, it paled in comparison to any solar entity. With that smile and strong reply, he thought that was what a true queen should be like. He was ready to throw himself to her feet, to see that smile for forever. And he also wondered if she understood his hidden question, the goddess that she looked like.

"I just wanted to see you squirm a little bit, Ulqui-chan." Her voice interrupted slyly. "But then I couldn't help it when I saw your dejected face. You looked so cute, like a puppy! Are you sure your release form is not a giant fluffy, green-eyed dog or something? Wait…maybe a cat!" She gasped and continued muttering, forgetting the map in her hand.

Ulquiorra seethed. He snatched the map from her making her pout immediately and put the precious item into his robes. It was getting dark so there was simply no point to go further for today.

His charge crossed her arms and sat down, refusing to do her part to set up for the night.

"What are so upset about?" He snapped. He should not be doing this. He was not a babysitter. He didn't do well with feelings. He was a bodyguard – an Arrancar soldier. Period. Heavens, he didn't even have feelings!

"Nothing."

"Woman, I can't deal with this." He said in exasperation and stomped away, irritated. Again, he just felt so useless, but he was also equally mad at his charge. How did she manage to raise all these doubts within himself?

When he returned, there was already a fire going and he dropped the wood he had carried with him. He gave up.

"Oh this?" She pointed to the fire that was roaring away cheerfully and almost innocently. "Don't worry about it. It's my job anyway, right?"

They both looked quietly into the fire.

A few minutes later, she slipped off her cloak, folded it and put it on a clean enough spot on the ground, next to a tree. She curled up, ready to go to sleep while he remained alert and awake. He didn't need sleep, and he didn't want it anytime. He turned away to give her some privacy.

"Hey Ulquiorra." She paused and he paused. "If you need anything, you know, just ask."

He thought at the moment her voice was soft and so reassuring. He wondered if she was turned over, speaking over her back; or if she was staring into the burning embers, her grey eyes as wistful as the king's...

He grunted and shook away those thoughts. He needed to get to studying that map.

"Leaning on others doesn't make you weak. And also...I think you're plenty strong. You're a great knight and bodyguard; you just need to realise it yourself." She said.

"Hn."

"Alright g'night!" She called out and he had no trouble making out the grin in her voice. "You go knock yourself out with the map, alright?"

He huffed. Speaking to him as if _he_ was the child, is she? He headed into the darkness, pensive and seeking solitude.

Secretly, he was satisfied with the outcome of the day.

* * *

"Hey Ulqui-chan, are we there yet?"

"No."

"Hey Ulqui-chan?

"Ulqui-chan?

"Ulqui- yooohooo!

"Hey! Ulquiorra!"

"What." Came back the incredibly irritated growl.

"Ulqui..."

"If you have nothing to say, woman, be quiet."

"So rude!" Her voice pouted. It seemed a distance away. The Arrancar frowned. What was that strange woman doing now?!

"Oh, Ulqui-chan. Did you realise you've walked into quicksand?"

_Why, that girl...!_ He looked down and found it true. The substance covered his boots completely. How he hadn't realised it was beyond him.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he groaned.


	3. Promise

Welcome~ Thanks for your reviews Guest and ayudevieta90!  
To Guest, I searched up who Pinky Pie is but I don't watch MLP soooo... (shrugs)  
To ayudevieta90, this is a shorter one but the next one is connected to this. I just separated them because they just seem to have different moods.

**Timeline No.:** 9  
**Genre:** Soft romance/Introspective  
**Word Count:** 812  
**Date: **27.6.2019  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

* * *

...

"Are you certain I won't drop dead the moment I step on those sands?" She asked as they laid dazedly on each other in the long shadows of wild grasses. Their hands were twined, and the sun was bright and stark against the blue sky, Crickets chirped noisily as the leaves of a far-off tree rustled – it was serene.

Unsatisfied by his unresponsiveness, the flame-haired princess, Orihime, pinched the flesh between his thumb and forefinger. She took advantage of his brief flash of confusion to scoot closer until she was on top of his hips, plopping down cheekily. "Maybe you'll answer me when I'm undead later, Ulqui-chan!" she chided.

Her guardian, Ulquiorra, merely gazed at her impassively before letting a soft smirk grace his lips. He was glad she could still be so carefree around him. Well, it was only in private situations like this – which he cherished every moment. He was also proud to be the only one able to witness her true self, not the prim and commanding princess that she showed everyone else these days.

Orihime had become more solemn as of late and the reason was quite obvious to the both of them, who have been travelling companions.

The towns they have visited these last few months have had some unusual activity. It had been increasingly difficult to get in or out due to crowdiness. They have overheard that there were visiting officials tightening security in town borders. Control of gates, routes and transportation have become stricter than usual. After learning of this news, they of course opted to stay out of towns. But, even places outside – places teeming with people – made his gut clench.

It wasn't long before Ulquiorra realised that feeling was fear. None of their informants had said anything (anything outright concerning anyway) and he was absolutely clueless as to what the Kingdom had issued to the realms. His fear was not of nescience but rather something far _far_ worse: betrayal.

He knew his beloved had arrived in the same conclusion. For months, they stuck to wilder terrains and uncharted forests, in a vain attempt to pretend everything was okay. He could sense no one tracking them; though as soon as they reached open areas, there would be a highly charged sensation crawling across his skin. His beloved questioned if it could be a specialised barrier created from a mix of _reiatsu_ and magic to act as a type of gate-and-guard mechanic. Ulquiorra thought it would be unlikely for the old-fashionedly-minded Gotei 13 to peruse such complicated and gimmicky technology. However, out of all the strange things they had seen before, he thought it wise to consider it a possibility.

Travelling became tedious after that as they needed to avoid any populated or open areas. The realm was barely unexplored afterall.

His beloved had suggested a place truly untrackable: the rocky mountain ranges. However, that was a zone full of other dangers altogether; he was never as quick to say no. They crossed off provinces, farmlands and forests one by one until they realised, they were stranded on the west, at the very fringe of the Center realm.

The world comprised of four realms, one of which they could not access without special help. They had escaped from the far east, the lands of the Karakura Kingdom, to the Center realm, which contained a myriad of biomes. Its western border was however dominated by rows of jagged mountains, a savannah and sweltering desert-like temperatures.

Further west laid a desert wasteland – a no-man's land – known infamously as Hueco Mundo. It was also the home of Hollows or the "walking dead", as some humans called it.

As pensive as he is, Ulquiorra had been thinking about his origins lately and that was how he came to suggest a trip to Hueco Mundo. They would be able to use the deserted lands to arrive north of the Center realm. No Shinigami dared to trespass there and Ulquiorra was confident his _reiatsu_ alone was enough to ward off any untoward hostilities.

He wasn't sure why his princess was suddenly so worried; she was usually adventurous and head strong. Besides, "I will be right next to you," he reminded with a pointed look.

He was an Arrancar. While he wasn't one of the oldest, he was no doubt one of the most powerful still alive _and _still unfettered.

Ulquiorra captured the woman against his chest and pulled her to the ground gently, brushing his nose against the delicate arc of her neck. He breathed in her warmth before shifting for her ears. Her red tresses caressed his lips like downy feather, and he felt her fingers clenched into his biceps as he promised:

"We'll be together like always, Hime."


	4. Horse-riding

Welcome~ This is a continuation of the previous chapter  
Please review or criticise at your leisure =^v^=

**Timeline No.:** 9  
**Genre:** Romance/Adventure  
**Word Count:** 1757  
**Date: **27.6.2019  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

* * *

Under the eternal twilight sky and the watchful moon of Hueco Mundo, their days became better.

It was not perfect per se as the desert was chilly and barren, and the inhabitants – which were rare and few – were largely hostile. To Ulquiorra, everything seemed untouched by time. Perhaps the terrain had changed, but Hueco Mundo was still as lifeless as it was when he left it long ago.

To his usually animated and heartwarming charge, however, she voiced that she was disconcerted by the animosity lingering in the air… And that it was absolutely _not _the fault of those "little Hollows" that they were always "hissy and rude", which in Orihime-speak meant that they were just lonely and never had the chance to experience life outside of the cold desert.

The princess had often changed his perspective in viewing life, or the unlife in his case, and this was no different. He thought about how he had the chance to meet this human being next to him and got to know her, which led to discovering the ultimate treasure of his existence. His love for her. Without her, he could have been sullen, bitter and perhaps vengeful. He would have been no different than these Hollows.

"Ulquiorra, look. Horses." Her voice drew him back to reality and towards the distance where some forty bone-coloured horses were grazing. "Are they all Hollows? What type of Hollows are they? Are they powerful?" She asked in a fascinated tone.

Ulquiorra guided them both to the back of a dune that offered a closer view of the herd. From this position, they could see the muscles that each of the horses' limbs contained. They may look pale and fragile but there was an unnatural strength these Hollow horses possessed as they stamped their feet and butted heads with each other.

"There's a fight going on there," his beloved read his mind.

Horses spread every which way as sand swirled and surged within the violence-charged air. At the core of it were six to eight horses, pressed against each other in seeming anger. There was something distinctly different about these horses than the others. One of them threw its head back and let loose a chilling roar, and Ulquiorra instantly knew.

_Of course._

How could he forget.

"Those eight are Adjuchas. They are mid level class Hollows. Adjuchas often engage in brutal fights for group dominance such as this." He informed. "Even so, it is quite rare to see them in a group…" The Arrancar trailed slightly, watching the scene without inflection as blood sprayed and three horses had their necks torn out. They crumpled to the ground, hissing with defiance. Orihime flinched slightly and he pulled her into the comfort of his chest. "They just reminded me of someone I used to know. Some idiot I used to travel with."

Orihime's eyes lit up. "Let me see…I've already met Nnoitra and Nel…" She mumbled and he smirked against the top of her head. "Ah hah! It's Grin– Grimmy-kun, right? The one with blue hair?"

"Grimmy-kun?"

His beloved pulled back with a sheepish look. "Well, I don't remember his name. You all seem to have long, eloquent names with at least one alphabet repeated. And that's just in first names!" A wondering look overcame her features. "Come to think of it, do you all come up with your names yourself? Or did you guys adopt your names from pre-Hollow days?"

As an Arrancar who just came about, he'd never thought about these things. When he was born as a Hollow, he had only one objective. And that was a very simple objective: to survive. There was no time to ponder on how he came to be, or why it felt right to be called Ulquiorra Schiffer. By the time that he had time to think about such things, he was already used to it. He was Ulquiorra, he was powerful and skilled, he could do battle for long periods without rest; he was born this way and he would only use it to his every advantage.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, was his name. He used to be a panther Adjuchas." He replied only. He flicked a finger against her ever-inquisitive forehead before smiling slightly.

Why was he smiling? That was beyond him. He just felt like it now that he had the time to linger on these small moments.

The princess beamed in return and pecked his lips, "I love you." She scooted backwards to stand from their half-crouch; he followed.

"And I, you. Beloved." Ulquiorra took her by the waist and kissed her passionately. "You know what? We should go horse-riding. The others." He pointed to the scattered groups of pure black horses, "are trash." A mischievous glint appearend within his emerald orbs. Orihime, having witnessed the few times this happened – and the result was usually amusing or amazing – hid her laugh behind a hand.

"Oh? And how are we gonna do that?"

"We'll have to fight them of course." He chuckled.

She stopped laughing and slapped his arm. "Really? Well you go ahead first then, Ulqui-chan!"

The gleam in his eyes merely brightened as he fought down a chuckle, and before she knew it, the Arrancar had led them both to a small group of horses isolated from the others. These ones were peaceful as they grazed and were relatively small, about the same size as a normal adult stallion.

The horses flicked their tails nonchalantly as they approached and Orihime noted that their eyes were located behind a bone plate like a mask. Each horse's eye colour was different from the other, but every one of them was intense.

As Ulquiorra neared, the closest Hollow turned its head towards him and curled its lips seemingly into a snarl. This one had yellow predatory eyes and slit pupils that seem to become narrower by the second. The others had already paused in their grazing but did not appear concerned.

Orihime smirked, causing yellow eyes to shift to her in suspicion.

It was then Ulquiorra released the spell that kept his human façade in place. A near-choking level of _reiatsu_ fell upon the vicinity before he reigned it in, directing a commanding yet apathetic gaze at the horses. They immediately lowered their heads in submission to break away the tension as Ulquiorra looked smugly at the woman by his side.

He singled out two horses behind the supposed leader of the small group. One with purplish eyes and the other with pink eyes.

"I'm envious of Hollow eyes," Orihime remarked as they trotted off.

Perplexed by how the woman kept leaning forward to squint idly at something (and he was sure her horse, the purple-eyed one, was too), Ulquiorra quirked a brow at her.

"They have so much feeling in them …And such rare shades too!" She murmured, then chuckled a bit.

A long time ago Ulquiorra would have instantly rebutted her statement that Hollows have no feeling and their eyes were perhaps a lure for the foolish. The Ulquiorra of the present merely gazed fondly at her speculations, half amused and half curious.

"Silver eyes are rare too," He nudged his steed forwards. "Rarer than green. Does that mean you are more Hollow than I?" His shoulder brushed against her left as his steed picked up speed. Its legs' pad-pad-pad turned into a slow pounding rhythm on the sandy ground.

Behind him, the woman pouted. "Don't make fun of me, Ulquiorra. I've told you I like green the most. How can _I_ possibly compare?" She tried to make her horse go faster. "Hollow or otherw– OW! Are bones really that hard?!"

Ulquiorra turned slightly to see her thighs clamped tightly around the horse's flanks, one hand glowing gold as she soothed her feet. When she looked at him pleadingly, he returned with a somewhat careless shrug.

The princess continued with her painful efforts to match her companion's speed. She glared balefully in his direction. "Fight the horse, did he say?"

…

A few moments later, as the backwards moon of Hueco Mundo was making its way eastwards to sleep, two riders could be seen laughing raucously as they raced across barren sands. One of them was very graceful as he held on effortlessly to the horse's mane and steered clear of his opponent. His horse galloped _fast_, always seemingly a few paces ahead or quick to catch up.

The other, however, was quite a strange sight. The rider gripped the horse with one hand, but her left was extended outwards. Her steed was very wild in appearance. Out of fear or excitement, it was quite hard to tell. Perhaps both.

"How's that for a fight, Ulquiorra!" The female rider shouted.

A few footfalls ahead, Ulquiorra smirked at the sight of her recreationally perusing her Santen Kesshun. Her hair burst like a hungry flame from the light of her powers, strands tangling with each other from the heavy riding. Under that, sweat trickled down her tanned skin, past a concentrated but smiling expression, and into the high neck collar around the column of her neck. He knew her breasts were usually bound but the movement of the powerful horse under her may have shaken the cloths loose.

It was enthralling and rather arousing.

In her voice was the challenge he longed to hear; And while it was tempting to just end this petty competition between them and bury himself into her heat, it was so much more fun to burn beside her.

Thinking of this, he _sonidoed_ to her side, standing mid-air but still following her pace. Ulquiorra bent down to whisper in her ear, "Just the beginning, Hime."

His hand sneaked unawares to her waist and stole away her clothes sash. It was too late when she caught on; he was back on his horse with the fabric fluttering innocently on his sword hilt. Her clothing split open, showing something that had their horses snorting at the Arrancar's audacity.

The princess flushed brightly and her _reiatsu_ stuttered. She pushed on however, intent on winning. Who says only men had kami-sized egos? If he wished to play this kind of game, he should have said so. Her embarrassment transformed into complacency as she slipped off her sleeves in two blinks then loosely tied them into ribbon knot below her bellybutton.

"You're _so_ dead, Ulquiorra." She muttered under her breath. Her horse snorted like a bull and its galloping hooves seemed to fly. "I'm not letting you go so easily, you shameless thief!"


End file.
